Soldier killed after being hit by armoured vehicle during training exercises

The member of 5th Battalion The Rifles was pronounced dead at the scene on Salisbury Plain on Tuesday.

The soldier was hit by a Warrior infantry fighting vehicle during routine exercises, Wiltshire Police said (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Archive)

A soldier has died after being hit by an armoured vehicle on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire during routine training exercises.

Emergency services were called to a stretch of the plain west of Tidworth at about 10.45am on Tuesday following reports a man had been involved in a collision, Wiltshire Police said.

The 26-year-old man had suffered serious head injuries after being struck by a Warrior infantry fighting vehicle, a spokeswoman for the force said, and died at the scene.

The victim was a member of 5th Battalion The Rifles, and had been on foot when he was hit.

Wiltshire Police said it was leading the investigation alongside the Army and the Health and Safety Executive.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Wiltshire Police’s serious collision investigation team on 101 quoting crime reference number 54220064345.